Stay Alive (A Jasico Fanfiction AU - AH)
by crippleshooter
Summary: What will you do if you neither have seen your best friend for almost four years nor even talk to him. You have an agreement, that's why. And then when you finally had the chance to have a rendezvous, the meeting was really unlikely. It was believed that we had a lot of soul-mates. And a colour disappeared to your sight. A friendship story between Jason Grace and Nico di Angelo


_It was believed that we had a lot of soul-mates in the world; one soul-mate per variation. However, when you found your soul-mate in case of romance, your world would have the most colourful one – literally. On the side note, a colour would arise to your eyes when you found a soul-mate on a different variation that reflected their favourite colour. _

_When your soul-mate died, the colour would disappear to your eyes. What more, when your romantic soul-mate died?_

_Your world would turn to grey again._

=/=

**_The blissful air_** assaulted his room, and the harmonious singing of the leaves serenaded the ears of the man that was standing in front of the mirror. He was arranging his necktie, as he straightened his coat and finished fixing his untidy hair.

The moon was sneaking on his room, lightening it. His phone rang again for the fifth time, and he failed to answer it. The first time that it rang, he was in the bathroom taking his bath – apparently. The second time it rang, he was putting his clothes on. The third time it rang, he was tying his shoelaces. The fourth time it rang, he was fixing his hair. And this, the fifth time he missed it again. It was his best friend calling him.

His best friend that he didn't see for three years. He didn't know why he didn't have the urge to call him back, but he promised himself to call Nico after his date with his girlfriend.

A few minutes later, his phone rang again, and since he was done fixing himself, he answered it.

'Why aren't you answering, you dumbass?' Said the voice from the other line.

He actually missed the voice that welcomed him; its dirty but witty mouth, and its annoyed voice – as usual. But he noticed that that annoyed voice was kind of weak, he was kind of worried but he just dismissed the thought. He missed the dude; he needed to be happy in hearing it.

A forced curve was formed on his lips and answered the craving best friend, 'I'm sorry, I'm fixing myself for my date.'

Nico seemed dumbfounded and didn't know what word to answer, 'O…okay.' He said; he turned his frown upside down because this was the first time that his best friend storied that he was having a date!

'Wow, congrats, Jason,' he continued. 'I didn't know that you have a girlfriend.'

'Apparently because we had an agreement that we needed to finish our college without communicating, how am I supposed to share it to you?' said Jason with his fooling voice. He sat on his bed, and looked at the clock.

Forty-five more minutes until his date. He took the chance to have a catching-up session with his best friend.

'So you found your _romantic soul-mate_ already,' said Nico. 'How does it feel like? And how long have you been together?'

Jason stood from his bed, and paced from left to right, as he smiled and tried to imagine how his world before was. Colourless and pathetic. He could only distinguish the colour blue and red. Now, he could see the colour of the world. Of how wonderful it could be.

'It feels surreal,' he spoke with eloquence, 'and I just can't imagine a world without Piper in me. Today is our first anniversary actually.'

'Congratulations, bro,' said Nico with full of enthusiasm. He seemed so happy for his best friend. Yea well, who wouldn't be happy for that?

'Thanks,' said Jason. 'I think I have to go now. I need to fetch Piper. I'll make you see her soon.'

'Sure,' answered Nico. Jason was about to end the line, when Nico's voice came again. 'Can we meet tomorrow?'

'That won't be a problem.'

'I'll see you tomorrow then.'

'I'll see you.'

Jason then ended the call and went straight to Piper's house. The most beautiful girl on Earth for him next to his mother.

=/=

Last night was the best night of his life. He had proposed to his girlfriend, Piper. He thought that maybe this was the right time to go to the next level already. He thought that maybe he was matured enough to handle and start a family with the girl he truly loved.

Scattered pieces of glass were on the floor, as the surprised bang of the door scared Jason. The ringing of his phone never stopped since morning – apparently he didn't really like glancing at his phone at least once. But as he finished cleaning the mess that he made at his apartment, another ring perturbed him. It made him feel that something bad happened.

He looked around the place, and he knew something was wrong. Something was incomplete. Something was missing on his eyes. He couldn't distinguish it yet, until he saw the name of the one who was calling on his phone.

_Something really bad happened, _thought Jason. He was wishing that what he thought wasn't right.

He picked up his phone, and answered the eager caller. He was waiting for it to answer, and as soon as he heard the voice of the woman on another line, he ended the call and ran to the nearest cab that he saw.

The heart inside his left chest was pounding really hard, his knees were trembling. He felt so nervous. He closed his eyes, forcing himself not to cry.

_I won't cry, nothing bad happened. I swear nothing bad happened. _He said to himself.

'Goddammit!' he exclaimed in exasperation. The thoughts inside his head kept on haunting him. Pessimisms never stopped on entering his mind. He couldn't think of anything positive.

He didn't know why he had this feeling, that something bad happened, but it felt so right. It felt so right that he wished what he was feeling was wrong.

Jason got his phone from his pocket, and phoned the digits of his fiancée. She wasn't answering, but her voice mail welcomed him.

'Piper, I have to go somewhere,' said Jason. 'I'm not so sure if I will see you tonight, but I promise I'll see you tomorrow.'

His voice was trembling, but still forcing himself to calm down. Piper shouldn't know about this, she was out of this. But he needed a shoulder to cry on.

_I should've cancelled my date last night, I know Piper would understand._

He closed his eyes.

The cab driver was looking at him at the rear-view mirror, he seemed concerned of Jason but he was too reluctant to ask him what was wrong. He thought that Jason might think of him as a meddler. He didn't want to meddle on what Jason was going through, so he just fastened up his driving. He was sure that Jason needed to be on the place as soon as possible.

The cab came to a stop.

Jason went out of the cab after he paid for the service. He suddenly thought of life's fickleness. Yesterday was a better one – the best actually - because he celebrated his first anniversary with his girlfriend, and now… it had changed in that abrupt. He didn't know why life could be that rude. He really didn't know.

He looked at the house in front of him; the house that he didn't see nor visit for years. He missed this house. It felt like the angsts that this house was really palpable now; the misery that I had given to that one person that he treasured most – excluding his fiancée.

However, he tried having giving happy experiences in here, and he didn't fail. He actually had those memories vividly stuck on his mind until now. And he wasn't in the business to experience a remorseful one now.

_I have to do this; I need to enter this house. I need to see._

His knees were still trembling due to his nervousness, it got worse now. He was holding his tears back, he didn't want to cry. He never wanted to cry.

He walked slowly, and a girl came. She was walking beside him. Her hair was black, and her eyes were also swelled. She looked at Jason, and made a smile. Her cheekbones were shown, but her sadness was tangible. Jason didn't talk to her, or even ask her what she was doing here.

She was really new to Jason's eyes; this girl, even she was just a visitor, or an acquaintance, she was unknown to him.

'Are you Jason?' asked the girl, 'because you really looked like Jason.'

Jason was surprised because she knew him. He didn't know that he was that prominent, but wow, he was awesome. He dismissed the boastful thought, and just gave the girl a nod.

He tried to look at the sky, and the girl looked at it too.

'I see no colour anymore,' said she. 'Before, I see everything. It was really a wonderful world, isn't it?'

Jason wasn't answering, but the tears came streaming down his face now. He couldn't see the colour of the sky anymore. And he was here, bursting out all his remorse with a stranger.

_She was the soul-mate_, thought he.

'Y-yes, it's a very wonderful world,' Jason answered the lass, 'may I ask your name?'

'I'm Reyna,' answered the girl. 'And I'm right, you are Jason.'

'How did you know me, Reyna?' asked Jason. He now looked at her – he felt that his neck stiffened.

'Well,' said Reyna. 'He often tells me a story about you. You're like a brother to him.'

'I'm his brother,' clarified Jason. 'Not by the water of the womb, but by the blood of the covenant.'

A woman called them both from a distant. Jason knew the woman just from the voice it conveyed, and he abruptly turned his head to the direction. He missed that woman.

He continued to walk, leaving Reyna on that same place. She seemed didn't want to go inside yet, well, Jason could feel her. But he needed to enter this house.

Jason ran to the woman outside the door, and gave her a hug. A warm, tight, and painful hug. He cried on her shoulder, same as the woman. He couldn't control his emotion anymore; he had been concealing his sadness for a lot of minutes now. He couldn't imagine why this shit happened in a very short time. He didn't have the chance to see him on the last minutes of his life.

The woman was patting his back, trying to soothe Jason's emotion. He couldn't be calmed down. He didn't want too.

Yesterday, he was just talking to his best friend. Saying that it was his first anniversary with his girlfriend, and that it felt so surreal having Piper in his life. Seeing the colour of the world, and that it was so wonderful.

Yesterday he was just talking to his best friend, Nico. Yesterday, they talked that they should meet today. Was this Nico meant when he said that they should meet today? That Jason would meet him on his own coffin?

His outburst caused a lot more tears, and he felt that his sadness was now perpetual. He couldn't imagine a world without the colour of blue on his eyes - that was Nico's favourite colour. He couldn't imagine a world without his best friend. His brother. His other half.

Three years. For three years he didn't see this lad, and now, he would see him lying on this fucking coffin! He felt the anguish rushing through his veins. The woman he was hugging was loosening her grip, but he tightened his hug. He couldn't let go of her. He didn't want to.

He didn't see his best friend yet, however. But he didn't want to see him. He didn't want to see him _dead_.

'Jason,' said the woman. 'You need to be strong.'

'I…I can't,' said Jason, loneliness, grief, and woe filling his voice. He was trembling, that anytime he would lose his consciousness. 'I've been too strong for three years, resisting the longing for my brother. I want to see him complete. _Alive. Breathing._'

=/=

_Jason and Nico meet in a very cliché manner. They are classmates when they are in their high school days. They don't know, maybe it's really customary and mandatory to be friends with your classmates. Well, actually they aren't friends until Nico's friend that time becomes friends with Jason. _

_Nico's group of friends are the ones with a very high socialisation skill. They make a lot of friends, and seem that they are friends with everyone. Nico isn't that kind of person, but he can make friends with people. Just that, he isn't the one who usually approach them. They must approach him._

_Nico's been friends with this beautiful girl since they are in their primary school. They seem to be inseparable. Yea, that's what they thought though. That's what people thought. _

_Sometimes you're just friends with a person just for the sake of how many years you've been together in one classroom. And then when you grow up, you will later on realise that sticking to people that you've been with for a lot of years but you barely know each other is such a scumbag idea._

_You can be friends with all of the people, and just leave that person behind._

_But not for Nico._

_That's not what Nico believed in. He has this kind of loyalty that only a few have. That's what makes people stick to him, and trust him._

_Jason, however, has a different group of friends during this year. He isn't closed with Nico yet. But Jason is really friends with everyone in the world._

_Nico's social status depends on his long-time-friend-beautiful-girl social status. So whoever this friend is friends with, they are also Nico's friends. _

_Nico is pathetic, he knows._

_One day, when the long-time-friend-beautiful-girl is seated beside Jason they become friends. They become lunch buddies. Well, Nico too. They become friends, and close to each other. But not that much. They talk less._

_Not until when this inchoate version of Jason does something really disgusting and abominable. The day that Nico will never ever forget. _

_And the day that their real friendship blooms._

_The class has a group-meeting-or-maybe-presentation and then Nico sits on Jason's chair. He unconsciously holds the opposite side of Jason's desk. He feels something sticky, and gooey. He doesn't know what it is, but it is fucking disgusting. _

_Nico abruptly takes his hands off of it, and he discovers that it is the kind of mucous that you will find inside your nose._

_Jason doesn't confess to Nico in that sudden, but he provides alcohol to him. Nico's long-time-friend-beautiful-girl tells him that it's Jason's and then Jason apologises to him. Well, for Nico it isn't a big deal._

_Because of that, a perpetually golden friendship arises between Jason and Nico._

=/=

_Nico is eating his lunch with his long-girl-friend-forever-classmate, Annabeth, and Jason who's been sitting beside him. Annabeth is talking with her gay-friend, Harry, and their having such fun. Nico is laughing at all the slapsticks that Harry has conveyed, laughing his ass out actually if that's the case. _

_'__Annabeth,' Nico says. 'What's your favourite colour again?'_

_They don't know how they can identify colours if they seldom see colours unless they found their romantic soul-mate. Maybe it just pops out on their head and they feel the love for the colour. And that they know how that colour is called, but they never know how it looks, until they see it. Until they see how wonderful their favourite colour is. It's so majestic._

_'__Red,' Annabeth answers. 'Why?'_

_'__Uh… nothing,' Nico says even though he can really see now the colour red in his sight. The wonderful colour of his long-girl-friend-forever-classmate's favourite colour. Yea well, he knows that this colour suddenly pops out of his eyes because they're 'forever-classmates' soul-mates. Having your soul-mate one of the most wonderful feelings that you'll ever get, even though it is kind of painful when you realise that they don't see your favourite colour._

_'__Blue is your favourite colour, right?' Annabeth then asks. 'Because I can see it now.'_

_Nico is surprised of what Annabeth said; he doesn't expect it that she will see his favourite colour. He just says 'Wow' in his mind, and he knows now how surreal this feeling can be even though it's just one colour that pops on his eyes, it's still the most golden feeling ever. _

_He gives Annabeth the smile he always gives her whenever she says things like that to him. He's one of the most inexpressive people on Earth that he'd rather not say what he's really feeling than make himself feel humiliated because he says it. _

_Jason suddenly stops eating because of what Annabeth says. He isn't sure of what their talking about, but he's sure that a colour also arise from his very eyes, he can see now the colour of his water jug, the colour of the water from the fountain near them. It's weird because he's been seeing this colour for a lot of days now but he didn't know whose favourite colour it is until Annabeth said it. _

=/=

_'__Hey Nico,' Jason calls Nico from the phone. He's lying on his bed, and really wants to tell Nico that he's seeing his favourite colour. But he's too reluctant to tell him because really, he finds it too gay!_

_'__Wazzup?' Nico says from the other line even though it's not his nature to talk on phone, he prefers texting actually. Really._

_'__What're the colours that you're seeing?' Jason asks. Maybe it's a better way of asking what're the colours Nico's seeing than saying that he's seeing his favourite colour, because he will know if Nico's also seeing his favourite colour. And it's just great if he does, because Jason knows that Nico's his best friend._

_'__I can only see the colour of red in my eyes,' Nico says. 'Why did you ask? Do you see that colour too?'_

_'__No, I just want to ask,' Jason says, dismayed. 'I get too curious sometimes.'_

_'__I see,' Nico says. 'I'll see you tomorrow at school then.'_

_Then the line ends._

=/=

_'__Hey Jason,' Nico says on the other line. It's the night after their graduation day. He wants to tell something to his best friend. He wants to confess what he's feeling. Yea well, not emotionally feeling. What his real condition is. _

_After a year of being friends with Jason, the colour of green suddenly arises from the sight of Nico. He knows that it's Jason's favourite colour, but he never tells him that he's seeing it. He just wants to make Jason feel that he's his best friend – his brother._

_'__What?' Asks Jason on the other line._

_'__This is the last time that we'll talk, right?' Nico says. 'Because of our deal.'_

_'__Yes, because of our deal.' Jason agrees, though he doesn't like the idea of it. _

_They have an agreement that they neither will talk nor see each other in their whole college life. Because they want to test their friendship's durability. That's true friendship, right? You'll have to know if you won't drift apart even though you aren't seeing nor talking with each other. _

_'__So I want to tell you that I'm dying,' Nico says straight-forwardly. This is the only time that he says what he's really feeling through talking. 'The doctors said that they found a tumour sprouting in my brain.'_

_Jason isn't responding._

_'__Okay, I'll continue,' says Nico. 'They made me choose. The cancer isn't that bad yet, but they said that they need to take it out of my head before it gets worse.'_

_'__Then make them take it out of your head.' Answers Jason. He doesn't really know what to feel, he feels so bad that he wants to cry. His best friend might die._

_'__That's the bright side of it,' says Nico. 'They can take it out and I can continue to live. Amazing. But the repercussion is that, I might not remember anyone. I might have amnesia.'_

_Jason doesn't respond again._

_'__I might forget my brother who's not responding on the other line,' jokes Nico. 'Or even my mother. I will remember no one, like I'm just a new born baby.'_

_Jason sobs from the other line._

_'__I won't take the operation yet, I've decided already,' Nico says when he hears the sobs of Jason. 'I told the doctor that I wanted to finish my college first. Then they say that it's okay; that maybe they can give me other treatments that can help to not make the illness worse.'_

_Jason isn't responding still, Nico's worried that maybe he might kill his best friend on the other line. _

_'__Okay, this might sound really gay,' Nico says again. 'But I want you to be there when I get the operation. I want you to promise me that you'll come when I get it. I want you to remind me that you're my best friend.'_

_'__Ye… yes, I will be there,' Jason answers still stuttering between his endless sobs. 'Whatever happens, stay alive.'_

_'__I will, I promise.'_

=/=

Jason was sitting on the long bench placed on a distant location of where the coffin of Nico was. Reyna was sitting beside him, reading the newspaper, while Jason was staring at the crucifix erected on the centre part of the front part.

'Ho-how did you know, Nico?' Jason suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Reyna stopped from reading the newspaper, and looked at Jason. She could see the swelling of his eyes, and the redness of it. The pain inside him was really felt around the ambiance. She could feel how lonely Jason was.

'We were classmates on a subject in college, apparently.' Said Reyna, 'Actually embarrassing as it can be, and disgusting to you, because Nico said that you don't like these kinds of relationship, but he was my fuck buddy before.'

Jason didn't answer; he seemed so shock of what he heard but didn't show it to Reyna. He wasn't disgusted because he knew that his best friend would do that, Nico once told him that he wanted to explore a lot more of the world in college.

However, when Jason didn't answer, it only meant that he wanted the person to continue telling the story, he didn't want to meddle and ask questions yet.

'We do that until third year college, but one time when we were continuously doing it, when he was… you know… penetrating me?' Reyna said, she smiled on the term that she used. Jason kind of giggled of the term too, 'Colours outburst in my eyes.'

Jason smiled at Reyna. He seemed so amazed of how the two of them figured out that they were romantic soul-mates. Reyna said that in that abrupt, she told Nico that she saw the outburst of colours in her eyes, and that she confessed that she was little by little falling in love with him.

'He didn't tell me that he has seen the colours too, and that he's falling in love with me. But Nico's a born joker or whatever you want to call him.' The girl said, 'That's why I love him so much. He tells me that he sees the colour of the world too, and that he loves me too.

'Since then, we stopped fucking.'

Reyna started to cry again, and Jason held her back and tried to soothe her emotion, even though he was feeling so bad too. This girl just lost the love of her life, that she also lost the colour of the world in her sight.

'You know what Jason.' Said Reyna abruptly, 'Nico's about to take the operation last night. The doctors already prepared the apparatus and whatnot. They're just waiting for Nico's decision.

'Then he kept on telling us that he needed to talk to you first, because he wanted you to be there. Because you promised that you would be there on his operation day; that you needed to make him remember you as his best friend.'

Jason looked at the coffin in front of everyone, where his best friend was lying. A ballad song was playing in the background, as the number of people increases. People whom Jason barely knew because he wasn't in here for three years. His eyes started to water again, he remembered those words that Nico conveyed when they last talked the night after their graduation day.

He promised Nico that he would be there; but he didn't give Nico the choice to force him to be there because he said that it was his first anniversary with his girlfriend.

'But when he put the phone down after talking to you, he said he can't take the operation last night because you can't come. So instead, he said that he'll take the operation today. This morning.' Reyna continued, her voice was stuttering. Jason felt a pang of guilt on his gut, his stomach couldn't take the conscience that he could be the reason why Nico died. 'Don't think that you're the reason why he died. He died because it was his choice. His illness was already severe, and the operation might only cure him. Just fifty per cent of chances.'

Jason remembered that Nico always wanted the promise to be kept. Nico never, at least once, had failed to keep a promise to anyone. He once had a promise with their high school classmate that he would help her with her final project – even though they too had a lot of things to do – he still helped the girl.

Nico never spoke a lot, but he did a lot. He never said anything unless he was required to do so, he was more on actions. He believed that actions speak louder than words.

Reyna once asked him if he really loved her. Because he never repeated to her saying 'I love you' so he answered her 'Are my actions not enough? Is my love not proved yet?' He kissed her forehead, down to her nose, then to her lips. And whispered in his softest voice, 'I love you so much.'

Jason did the same thing to Nico. He asked him once if he was really Nico's best friend because he never told him not even once that he was his best friend. Nico abrupt gave Jason a hug, and whispered, 'You are not my best friend you are my brother.'

=/=

Eight days passed since the death of Nico. They were in the cemetery, watching the men digging a big hole for Nico's coffin. The priest was standing behind the coffin holding his small bottle of holy water. He casted a small prayer, and blest the coffin.

The wind was howling on the vicinity, Jason was feeling the grief. But the wind told him to feel blissful. The girl beside him was holding his hand, telling him to stay strong. To let go of his best friend. He needed to move on. She couldn't tell him those yet, because for sure, he would get mad at her. He wouldn't get moved on in that abrupt.

The coffin was being pushed down to the deep pit of abyss. The darkness was swarming the corpse of Nico, and flowers were filling its top. The tears of the people around him didn't stop from streaming down their faces. Reyna who was standing beside Nico's mother was kneeling on the ground, her face was red from agony, and her eyes were invisible because of the streaming tears. She was holding a portrait of Nico, wearing his coat and tie, and his dark hair was fixed, his dark eyes were gleaming, and his smile showed his happiness.

'Nico.' Reyna said, 'you can't leave me behind. I love you so much.'

She was repeating those words forever.

Piper was holding Jason so tight that she wasn't letting him to kneel down; she was supporting him, giving him the strength to fight this agony. But the pain on his face was shown by his lonesome frown. His eyes were red, and tears continued to stream down his face even though he said no words since they've been here. He was immobile, and he was just looking at the descending coffin. He didn't want to bid his farewell yet, they didn't even have their reunion yet.

Why was the world so rude to him that he didn't even see his best friend first, or even to talk to him personally before he died? He didn't want him to die though, but he was questioning why it happened next to the happiest day of his life.

Men were filling the hole again with the dug-out soil, and slowly, Jason and Reyna went to their knees, and cried nonstop.

**_The blissful air_** turned out to be agony in their skins.


End file.
